Egypt: Teachers attack Coptic Christian students in school
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The headmaster and other teachers at the Al-Thawra school in Upper Egypt’s Minya Governorate earlier this month ordered their Coptic Christian students to remove any jewelry with a cross, and then beat them, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
According to the US Open Doors advocacy group, persecution against Coptic Christians in Egypt is primarily carried out at the community level. “Incidents occur most frequently in Upper Egypt where the Salafist movements exert a strong influence on the rural communities due to high levels of illiteracy and poverty,” Open Doors explains on its website.
In its report about the Al-Thawra elementary and middle school, ICC said a female teacher not only attacked a Christian student, but also encouraged other students to do the same.
“The role of the teachers and administrative leaders in the incident is particularly concerning regarding the rhetoric being taught to the youth as it was the adults who led the persecution against the Christian children,” ICC reports.
The students reported the incidents to their Coptic parents, who are understood to have taken action against the school. It is not clear whether the educational board has taken any action, however.
Egypt ranks 16 on the US Open Doors Watch List 2021 of top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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